Family Organizational Labor

Abstract Many dual-earner couples are striving for equality in their marital or intimate partnerships as a way to balance family and work successfully. Despite substantial advances in achieving equality in many aspects of marital or intimate partnerships, such as housework and child care, many couples struggle to equitably divide responsibility for family organizational tasks, such as maintaining the family calendar, managing the household, and organizing the children's activities, schedules, and care. Data for this study were drawn from 47 middle-class, heterosexual, dual-earner couples who perceive themselves as successful in balancing family and work. The couples were interviewed to investigate their philosophies and strategies for successful work-family balance. The purpose of this article is to describe how these couples divided responsibility for family organization. Although the vast majority of these couples reported that striving for marital equality was foundational to their successful work-family balance, most reported that wives were primarily responsible for family organization. Organization is discussed as a factor of equality that warrants more research and as an important remaining barrier to the achievement of couples' equality. Clinical implications are provided.